Package for dispensing measured amounts of liquid

ABSTRACT

A composite package for dispensing dosage amounts of liquids such as pharmaceuticals which includes a container, preferably of one piece construction, which has an elongated neck with a protruding wiping lip at its upper end, a measuring cup for superposition over the neck in an upside down position, the sidewall thereof adapted to contact the lip as it is placed over the neck so as to cause residual liquid left on the sidewall after use to drain back into the container. An overcap closes the container when the cup is in place on the neck.

United States Patent Beeman [451 Aug. 15, 1972 [5 PACKAGE FOR DISPENSING 1,855,039 4/1932 Wetmore ..215/ 131 R MEASURED AMOUNTS OF LIQUID 2,035,560 3/1936 McCarty ..220/23 [72] Inventor: Everett C. Beeman, waningford, 1,978,946 10/1934 Homer ..215/40 Conn Primary Examiner-George E. Lowrance [73] Assignee: Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Mo. Assistant Examiner-Stephen Marcus Attorney-James C. Logomasini, Michael J. Murphy [22] Filed. Sept. 22, 1970 and N eal E. Willis [21] Appl. No.: 74,389

[57] ABSTRACT 52 us. c1. ..215/100 R, 206/38 R, 215/1310. 7 A cpmposite package for dispensing dosage amounts [51] Int. Cl. ..B65d 23/12 of hqlhds Such as Pharmaceuticals which includes a 53 Field f searchnmz 15/100 R, 13 R 13 A, 7 container, preferably of one piece construction, which 206/4, 47 B, 47 R, 38 220/23 has an elongated neck with a protruding wiping lip at its upper end, a measuring cup for superposition over [56] References Cited the neck in anupside down position, the sidewall thereof adapted to contact the lip as it is placed over UNITED STATES PATENTS the neck so as to cause residual liquid left on the sidewall after use to drain back into the container. An i overcap closes the container when the cup is in place v s t k. 3,017,047 1/1962 Payson a a1. ..215/13 R 6 2,941,689 6/1960 Black ..220/23 11 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure P'ATENTEDw 1 I912 3.684.120

INVENTOR. EVERETT C. BEEMAN ATTORNEY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relatesto a package and in particular to a composite package for holding and dispensing small, measured amounts of liquid.

In the present age of extensive travel, one may find it convenient and desirable to carry around with him a small amount of liquid material for periodic consumption or use which is kept in a container of such size as to be relatively easily held in a pocket, purse or the like, and from which a predetermined dosage of the material may be measured out before use. For example, such a liquid could be a pharmaceutical, drug, diet aid, vitamin, cosmetic or the like. To package the total marketable amount of these materials solely in small containers which are constructed of adequate quality as to dispel concern with contamination, leakage, breakage,

etc. would represent an inordinate cost. Consequently such materials are occasionally marketed in large containers which are too bulky to be carried around in a pocket or enclosed in a small place and from which a small amount of the material is repeatedly transferred to a supplementary container so as to satisfy the needs of the consumer over a limited period of time. Such small containers are known in the prior art, but unfortunately they have either been designed to accommodate less difficult to package solid materials such as pills or capsules wherein leakage is not a problem, or in the case of liquids, have been rather complicated in design and construction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Now, however, there has been developed a package for holding and dispensing dosage amounts of liquids which is compact, simple in construction and readily manufacturable by conventional molding techniques.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to provide an integral package for dispensing predetermined dosage amounts of liquids such as pharmaceuticals and the like. 7

Another object of this invention is to provide a package of the aforementioned variety for accommodating a liquid material which is difficult to dispense in the sense of rapidly developing a solid scum when exposed to the atmosphere for a relatively short period.

A further object of this invention is to provide a package of the aforementioned variety which includes structure for conveniently cleansing the dosage measuring means of residual traces of the contents after each individual use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a compact extremely simple and inexpensive package for holding prescribed daily dosages or small quantities of pharmaceutical products.

Another object of this invention is to provide a package of the aforementioned variety having improved means for dispensing the contents without spilling and which allows the liquid upon termination of pouring to flow back into the container instead of running down along the outside.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

These and other objects are accomplished by providing, in combination, a container for liquids having an 2. elongated neck which includes a wiping lip at substantially the upper end thereof, a measuringcup for the liquids for superposition on said. neck in an upside down position, the diameter of said cup being such that it wipingly contacts the lip as the cup is placed on the neck, a cap for sealing the container with the cup in place on the neck, and means for securing the cap on the container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In describing the overall invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawing which is a partially sectioned, schematic view with parts broken away of a package embodying the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing, there is illustrated a package 10 for holding and dispensing small quantities of liquid. Package 10 comprises a container such as a cylindrical bottle having a body portion 12 for the liquid and an elongated neck 14 of reduced diameter in comparison with body portion 12. Neck 14 includes a lower portion 16 extending upwardly from body 12 and an upper extension 18. A wiping lip 20 projects outwardly from the upper end of portion 18 at an acute angle 0 with the axis of neck 14. The outer surface por tion of neck section 18 preferably tapers inwardly as illustrated in the drawing toward the upper end an amount substantially equal to the extent to which wiping lip 20 projects outwardly. Without such a tapered portion, cup 24, to be hereafter described in more detail, will have a tendency to wobble laterally when in position on neck 14. Though neck 14 is shown as and is preferably an integral part of container body 12 for purposes of simplicity in molding since the container is most economically produced as one piece from a moldable thermoplastic, neck 14 may be separately formed and snapped into the upper end of container 12 by means, for example, of a cooperating projection and opposing groove. This latter approach may be desirable when it is necessary to maintain the tolerances of neck 14 within relatively narrow limits. lower portion 16 of neck 14 has threads 22 formed therein.

Package 10 further comprises a measuring cup 24 for holding dosage amounts of the liquid, adapted to be positioned over neck portion 18 in an upside down position, as shown, such that wiping lip 20 is in contact with its inner surface 26. The length of sidewall 28 of cap 24 is substantially equal to the extent to which neck 14 is elongated, or in other words equal to the height of portion 18 above threads 22.

Cap 30 is provided for bottle 12. and is of sufiicient diameter as to overlie cup 24 when the latter is in place on the container neck. Cap 30 has threaded portions 32 at its lower end which are designed to cooperate with threads 22 on the bottle neck so as to secure the package. Cap 30 may be provided with an annular projection 34 on the inner surface of top wall 36 for compressing cup 24 downwardly on neck 14 so as to secure cup 24 against any slight axial movement which may occur dueto tolerance variations when the cooperating parts of the package are in assembled condition. Cap 30 is preferably of the same outer diameter as body 12 to avoid any unwieldy projecting portions and to present a neat looking overall package design.

In use, the purchaser merely pours an amount of the material into bottle 12 through neck 14 from the main or principal container of the material. For purposes of the invention, bottle 12 is of such a size as to have a volumetric capacity of between about to 200 cc. and shaped such that it may be conveniently held in a pocket, purse or similar small place. When it is desired to remove a dosage amount of the material from bottle 12, the liquid is poured into cup 24 from the bottle. Before doing so, however, it may be necessary to shake the package intensely with the cup and cap in place so as to break up and dissolve any scum or solids which have developed in the liquid in the bottle when the material being handled is of this nature. Also, for purposes of this invention, cup 24 should have sufficient volumetric capacity as to hold one or a few doses of the liquid, e.g. between 5 to 20 cc., since in some instances the user may desire a double dose or more. In pouring, the liquid flows out over lip 20, and due to the acute angle 0 of lip 20 residual traces of the material left on lip 20 will flow back into the container rather than down the outside of the neck. After use, cup 24 is forced back down over neck 14, short lead in portion 38 facilitating initial passage of the cup over lip 20. As cup 24 moves down over neck section 18, residual amounts of the contents which are left on the inner surface 26 of wall 28 will be wiped off of wall 26 because of contact with wiping lip 20 and will thus drain by gravity down across angularly disposed lip 20 and back into bottle 12. Thus, as an important feature of the invention, the inner surface of the wall of cup 24 is automatically wiped clean as the cup is being put back over the bottle neck, preferably immediately after use. This is particularly important when the material being dispensed is of the aforementioned variety, i.e. one of the well-known commercially sold antacids which sets up, at least partially, as a solid within a matter of minutes after being exposed to the atmosphere. Without the wiping contact between lip 20 and the interior surface of the cup sidewall, the cup would be unsightly and offensive to the user after one initial use because of the flaky residual traces of material left on the walls from the prior use. When cup 24 is at or close to its lowermost position on neck section 18, the upper end portion 29 of its sidewall 28 contacts the lower end portion of neck extension 18 below the start of the inward taper thereof, when such a taper is used, so as to establish a peripheral seal between the cup 24 and the neck. Some additional sealing may be obtained between the outer'surface of lip 20 and the other end of sidewall 28 of cup 24.

If peripheral contact between lip 20 and surface 26 of sidewall 28 is great, or in other words, if the fit of lip 20 against wall 28 is real tight, it may be necessary to vent the space between the lip and the base of the cup as the cup is being forced down into place in order to release trapped air and permit the cup to seal properly. This can be accomplished by providing a slight nick 31 in lip 20.

The above description and particularly the drawing is set forth for purposes of illustration only and is not to be taken in a limited sense.

Though the present invention has been set forth in the context of a package for holding a relatively small volume of liquid previously dispensed from a larger reservoir of the material, it should be obvious that the unique neck structure and cooperating measuring cup could be utilized,-if desired, as an integral part of the basic or original larger container of the material.

Though the components of the package of the present invention may be formed from any material, it is preferred, for economic reasons, that they be formed from any one or more of the conventional, readily blow or injection moldable thermoplastics. To promote resiliency and optimize the wiping action between the bottle lip and cup sidewall, it is preferred that one be formed of a thermoplastic which is somewhat more yieldable than a thermoplastic from which the other is formed, e. g. high density and low density polyethylene.

Various modifications and alterations will be readily suggested to persons skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that the foregoing be considered as exemplary only and that the scope of the invention be ascertained from the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination:

a. a container for liquids having an elongated neck which includes a wiping lip at substantially the upper end thereof;

b. a measuring cup for the liquids for superposition on said neck in an upside down position, the diameter of said cup being such that it wipingly contacts the lip as the cup is placed on the neck;

c. a cap outside of the measuring cup for sealing the container with the cup in place on the neck; and

d. means for securing the cap on the container.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the container has a volumetric capacity of between 5 to 200 cc.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the securing means are cooperating threads on the cap and container.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the measuring cup has a volumetric capacity of between 5 to 20 cc.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the extent of elongation of the neck is substantially equivalent to the length of the sidewall of the measuring cup.

6. A pocket package for dispensing liquids in dosage amounts which comprises:

a. a bottle made of a thermoplastic material for said liquids having a reduced diameter elongated neck at one end, said neck having threads on the outer surface of the lower portion thereof and a wiping lip projecting outwardly at its upper end at an acute angle to the axis of said neck;

b. a measuring cup for holding dosage amounts of said liquid positioned on said neck in an opening down position such that the wiping lip is in contact with its inner surface, the length of the sidewall of the cup being substantially equal to the extent to which the neck is elongated; and

. a cap on the bottle with the cup in place on the neck having threads thereon for cooperation with the threads on the neck to secure the cap to the neck.

7. The package of claim 6 wherein the cap has a projection on a top wall thereof for contacting the cup to insure that the cup is kept in a forced down position on the neck when the cap is in place on the bottle.

8. The package of claim 6 wherein an outer surface portion of the neck tapers inwardly toward the upper end thereof an amount substantially equivalent to the extent to which the wiping lip projects outwardly.

9. The package of claim 6 wherein said bottle has a volumetric capacity of between 5 to 200 cc.

10. The package of claim 6 wherein the lip is formed 5 on the neck of low density polyethylene and the cup sidewall is 

1. In combination: a. a container for liquids having an elongated neck which includes a wiping lip at substantially the upper end thereof; b. a measuring cup for the liquids for superposition on said neck in an upside down position, the diameter of said cup being such that it wipingly contacts the lip as the cup is placed on the neck; c. a cap outside of the measuring cup for sealing the container with the cup in place on the neck; and d. means for securing the cap on the container.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the container has a volumetric capacity of between 5 to 200 cc.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the securing means are cooperating threads on the cap and container.
 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the measuring cup has a volumetric capacity of between 5 to 20 cc.
 5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the extent of elongation of the neck is substantially equivalent to the length of the sidewall of the measuring cup.
 6. A pocket package for dispensing liquids in dosage amounts which comprises: a. a bottle made of a thermoplastic material for said liquids having a reduced diameter elongated neck at one end, said neck having threads on the outer surface of the lower portion thereof and a wiping lip projecting outwardly at its upper end at an acute angle to the axis of said neck; b. a measuring cup for holding dosage amounts of said liquid positioned on said neck in an opening down position such that the wiping lip is in contact with its inner surface, the length of the sidewall of the cup being substantially equal to the extent to which the neck is elongated; and c. a cap on the bottle with the cup in place on the neck having threads thereon for cooperation with the threads on the neck to secure the cap to the neck.
 7. The package of claim 6 wherein the cap has a projection on a top wall thereof for contacting the cup to insure that the cup is kept in a forced down position on the neck when the cap is in place on the bottle.
 8. The package of claim 6 wherein an outer surface portion of the neck tapers inwardly toward the upper end thereof an amount substantially equivalent to the extent to which the wiping lip projects outwardly.
 9. The package of claim 6 wherein said bottle has a volumetric capacity of between 5 to 200 cc.
 10. The package of claim 6 wherein the lip is formed of low density polyethylene and the cup sidewall is formed of high density polyethylene.
 11. The package of claim 6 wherein the lip has a nick formed therein for venting the cup as it is forced down on the neck. 